The Birth of Chaos
by Tyros Ironside
Summary: Follows the deadly Chaos squad from its leader's life at a young age through to their part in the Brood War. Please take the time to R&R, thanks!
1. Prologue

**STARCRAFT**

**THE BIRTH OF CHAOS**

_Prologue:_

"Fire, rubble and mangled corpses are all that remain of this once peaceful Vespene refinery on Maltair IV," said the reporter, his microphone held to his lips as he spoke matter-of-factly. A British accent gave his voice a sophisticated edge.

Behind him lay the smoking remains of the refinery which was nestled in the midst of a rocky quarry. Rescue workers could be seen battling the flames which still burned as trucks transported the wounded from the site to medical facilities.

"Almost a year has passed since the start of this war in late 2485 and neither side appears to be willing to yield. Fringe worlds continue to witness attacks as the Kel-Morian Combine targets Confederate resource facilities and supply stations. This week alone has seen almost five hundred individuals killed or injured in raids. This begs the question: when will the bloodshed end and how many must suffer before it does? If history has taught us..." the television screen flicked off, causing many of the marines watching to exclaim objections.

"Breaks over, boys," said the Lieutenant. "You can go back to watchin' that crap later, now get to your posts."

The marines muttered a "yes, sir," as they stood up with a light hiss from their CMC powered combat suits. They all gave the Lieutenant a nod as they passed him, a verification of their respect for him.

The Lieutenant waited until all the men had passed before walking outside himself. Dark clouds hovered over the fringe world of Chau Sara. The afternoon sun caused orange light to mottle the grey sky, splattering it with patches of vibrant colour.

"Lieutenant Caedo," said a voice, causing him to turn to the source.

A man in CMC power armour approached him. The man had dark brown eyes, black skin and black hair which was somewhat frizzy despite its short length. He had a full beard upon his face which was kept trimmed to a relatively short length.

The Lieutenant smiled. "Good to see you back in one piece. How'd it go out there?"

"We're lucky to have made it back here. There are three battalions of Kel-Morian soldiers on their way!"

The Lieutenant's smile dropped instantly. "Seriously?"

The man smiled and laughed. "Nah, I'm just screwin' with ya. There ain't nothin' but rocks and sand out there."

"Damn it, Roland," said the Lieutenant with a chuckle. "Don't do that to me. You almost gave me a damn heart attack."

"Don't worry, brother. Chances are they won't even strike here. I don't even know why we were sent here to begin with. Surely forty marines could be better used somewhere else."

"I agree, but the Confederacy wants this supply compound guarded. If the Kel-Morians get their hands on this equipment..."

Roland cut the Lieutenant off. "Then we'll just be short a couple of weapons and power suits. It 'aint like we've got enough men to use 'em anyway. The confederacy has the guns, but it doesn't have the manpower. Kind of funny if you think about it. Sure we outgun the Kel-Morians, but what's the point when they're just sitting here collectin' dust?"

"Well, for starters, if they get the equipment then they'll use it against the confederacy, so it's more about making sure our enemy _stays_ in short supply."

One of the marines standing nearby joined in on the conversation. "How much longer do you think this war'll go on for?" he asked, a heavy southern drawl leaning upon his words.

"Don't worry," sounded the deep, throaty voice of another nearby marine. "Chances are this war's gonna be over by this time next year. And besides, we were assigned to a pretty good location. We're still in the same system as our homes. We'll probably be done here in a few days, then it's back to drinking on Mar Sara!"

Several of the nearby men laughed and voiced a simple "I hear that!" or "Got that right!"

The Lieutenant rubbed a hand across the top of his blonde, crew-cut style hair. He smiled with the men, but Roland saw the doubt in his blue eyes. Dallas Caedo was a man of honour who had always commanded respect from those who served in his platoon. On his home planet of Mar Sara, he had assisted in the training of hundreds of soldiers. When in battle, he always looked after every soldier who came into his presence. As such, he had developed a respectable reputation on Mar Sara. Roland Ordell was the second in command of his platoon and his greatest friend. Roland was two years younger than the forty two year old Lieutenant, though they enlisted at roughly the same time. As they trained with one another, their bond of friendship grew on. Roland was the godfather of Dallas' six year old son. Roland would often visit the child and would mind him while Dallas went out on occasion with his wife. It was thoughts of the child that plagued Dallas' mind. "You alright, man?" asked Roland, snapping the Lieutenant back to reality.

"I don't know. Walk with me," he said.

The two walked across the compound and up the stairs leading to the two and a half metre tall defensive wall. They moved to one of the wall's corners where two marines chatted casually while surveying the desert land beyond the compound. "Go and take a break, boys," said Dallas. "We'll keep a watch on this section for a few minutes."

Their faces lit up as they saluted Dallas. "Thanks, boss!" they said.

He smiled and gave them a nod as they passed. Dallas simply stood for a moment, gazing out at the harsh terrain as wind blew gently through his short hair. The land beyond was filled with naught but a flat stretch of sand and broken rocks until it rose in a series of small hills. Beyond the small hills lay large, rocky mountains.

He delicately lifted something from a pocket on his power suit. He unfolded the photo of his family. In the photo, he stood side by side with his brunette wife, his arm around her waist, his blonde-haired son standing in front of the two. The three were smiling in the photo.

He desperately needed to speak with Roland about his friend's past, but every time he thought of what he was going to say, the words melded into an incoherent jumble of confusion.

Roland grew up on Tarsonis, one of the core worlds. At an early age he displayed his ability to detect telepaths. His father served in training members of the ghost program. When Roland was brought into contact with a ghost operative, he was able to detect the telepathic abilities at once. He possessed some psionic abilities himself, but only enough to detect other telepaths at close range. During his younger years, he became a designated Wrangler, an agent hired by the ghost program to bring in children with telepathic abilities – the core essence of all ghost operatives. Despite this consuming much of his teen life and early adulthood, he craved naught but joining the Confederate marines. Though he desired service in the marine force, he lacked the motivation to follow it for fear of the risks involved in the change of profession, until one dark yet fateful day. It was not long before he realised that a childhood friend of his had telepathic abilities. The friend was like a brother to him, yet it was Roland's duty to bring him in. He was torn between whether to let his friend go or whether to fulfil his obligation. He decided upon the latter, bringing his comrade into the ghost program. When the friend realised what was happening, he attempted to escape. In the chaos that ensued, he was killed. Roland could think of nothing but escape and so he ran. He found his way to Mar Sara by passageway on a commercial trading vessel. There he started a new life, joining the Confederate Marine Corps.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at Dallas who still gazed at the photo.

Dallas turned to look at his friend. "It's my son."

"What's wrong? He's alright isn't he?" Roland's brow furrowed in concern.

"I think he's a telepath."

"What makes you think that?"

"It's just a feeling I've got. It's like sometimes he knows what I'm thinking. At times, I'll go to ask him a question and he'll answer it before I've even asked it. There are other signs too, but I've only noticed it recently."

Roland nodded. "Well he's at the age when signs would be starting to emerge. In fact, now that you mention it I thought I could detect something stirring in him, but I guess I just dismissed it."

"Well then what the hell do I do about it? I've been losing sleep thinking about it."

Roland chuckled. "Hell, man, you've got nothin' to worry about. You'll be hard pressed finding a Wrangler anywhere near where we live. Not when there's so much opportunity for catchin' telepaths on the core worlds. As for me, my days as a Wrangler are long gone. And even if I was still one of those sly bastards, you know I'd never turn him in. You do know that don't you?"

"Yeah," said Dallas with a sigh of relief. "I just needed to make sure. It's just the thought of his mind being wiped like it's some piece of paper with an error on it gives me the damn chills. To think that he'd lose every piece of who he is, everything that makes him unique. I can't imagine ever looking him in the eye only to see a complete stranger. I don't know what I'd do if they tried to take him."

"You'd bust down their front door and get him back is what you'd do and I'd be there right next to you. Now come on, we've got rocks to stare at. You never know what they're up to, just sitting there silently planning like they do."

The two shared a laugh and simply enjoyed conversing while they waited for the two marines to return.

The marines returned sooner than expected. As Dallas and Roland turned towards the two men they noticed a grave look marking their faces. "Sir," started one of the marines, his eyes fixed on Dallas'. "We've just received an urgent distress call. A small town just south of our position has been attacked."

Dallas and Roland looked at each other for a second as the news sunk in. The Lieutenant gave the men a nod and hastily made his way through the compound, walking past the rows of crates and supply boxes neatly set up on the concrete foundation. As he closed in on the building being used as a base of operations, many of the marines turned to look, expressions of concern now clinging to their faces. Curiosity and anxiety alike caused several of the marines to follow the Lieutenant. The doors of the command building before him opened with a hiss. He made his way through several of the rooms and corridors before coming to the communications room, Roland and the marines close behind. One of the men pressed a button, opening the channel to the survivors of the nearby town.

Dallas leaned down towards the speaker. "This is Lieutenant Dallas Caedo of the Confederate Marine Corps, what's your situation?"

"Thank you Lieutenant, we thought no one had heard our distress call," said a quivering male voice. "We were attacked by the Kel-Morians. They came from out of nowhere. Most of our town is in flames and many of our people are dead. Those of us that survived hid in an abandoned mine. A lot of the people here are in bad shape. Please, we need help, we're trapped in here. The entrance to the mines collapsed and we can't get out. The explosions must've loosened up the structure of the mines, because we're hearing a lot of rumbling. This place may collapse any minute now. Please, we need help."

"I understand, just remain calm. Are the Kel-Morians still in the town?"

"No, they've all gone now."

"Okay, do you know where they went?"

"No, none of us saw. We just ran as fast as we could."

The Lieutenant stood up straight again, moving away from the speaker and turning to face Roland. "Okay, so what do we do? The Kel-Morians are probably on their way here, but that mine could come down at any minute and if that happens then all those innocent people will die," he placed his hand over his mouth as he contemplated the gravity of the situation.

An idea came to Roland's mind. "We could always send a handful of men to sneak around the Kel-Morian force and rescue the civilians while the bulk of the men stay here and defend the compound. We'd only need about five soldiers to save the civilians."

"I don't know," said Dallas. "It's risky. The soldiers that go down to the civilians could easily be spotted and killed."

"Dallas, it's the only option we've got."

Dallas considered for a moment before nodding. "Okay, but who goes to get them?"

"I'll go," said Roland.

"No," replied Dallas, holding out a hand. "Out of the question. I won't see you run off on what'll probably be a suicide mission."

"Hey," Roland placed a hand on Dallas' shoulder. "It'll be alright, man. I'll take one of the fast jeeps and I'll avoid the main pathway. I'll stick to the high ground and then I'll be back before you know it. Let me do this, you know it's the only way."

Dallas paused in deliberation before yielding. "Fine, then who's going with you?"

The two marines that Dallas and Roland had relieved on the wall stepped forward. "We'll go."

Two more marines from the group took a step forward, offering their assistance. "Okay," said Dallas, turning back to the speaker. "We're sending some men down there to assist you. Just hold on tight and they'll be there in no time."

"Thank you, Lieutenant! Bless you!" replied the voice.

He pressed a button, cutting the signal. The entourage walked back outside before heading over to one of the abandoned vehicles. As they walked outside, the last of the day's light shone in the distance, casting the landscape into a dark silhouette.

After arming themselves, the four marines entered the vehicle, leaving the driver seat for Roland who stood before Dallas. "You ride hard and you ride fast and do _not_ stop for anything. Just get there and for God's sake, man, do _not_ get yourself killed," said Dallas.

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. You just watch out for yourself, brother."

They grasped one another's hand and amiably knocked their right shoulders together. They gave each other a nod before Roland entered the vehicle. As he started it up, a marine on guard duty lowered the front gateway. Dallas gave Roland and the marines a salute as the vehicle slowly eased forward. The company within the jeep returned the salute before it took off into the darkened distance.

Dallas immediately called the thirty five marines left in the compound together. He told them of the impending attack which was met by differing responses. Some nodded and smiled in excitement, others simply stood silent in fear and apprehension. Once the information he knew had been explained to the men, the strategy was formed.

The compound faced South, with the building being used as a base of operations located at the back of the complex. The base had six heavy machine guns set up on the walls with another two in the heart of the compound on the lower ground. The left and right walls had but one turret each. The top left and top right corners of the wall both had a turret, with two more located on the front wall. The Lieutenant ordered fifteen men on the front wall and ten on the left and right walls. If the enemy came from a more specific direction, the soldiers would move as necessary. With the plan set, the marines took their places crouching down on the wall, so as to hide behind the protective parapet which spanned the entire outer rim.

The sun had long since been down before the Lieutenant received radio communication from Roland. "What's your situation?" whispered Dallas, holding the handheld radio close to his mouth.

"We've arrived safely at the mine," answered Roland. "We're in the process of moving the stones blocking the entrance. Even with the added strength from our power suits, this is gonna take a while. Oh, and we got a glimpse of what the Kel-Morians are sending your way."

"Could you tell how many there were?"

"I don't know for sure, but it was easily seventy soldiers. Your outnumbered two to one up there, I don't know if you can hold up against that many. Just get out of there. Take the men and leave."

"We can't. They'll just chase us down and we'll be forced to fight somewhere else. Just concentrate on getting those civilians out of there."

"Copy that. I'll maintain radio silence from here on out unless something big happens."

"Roger, good luck down there. Caedo over and out."

The Lieutenant put down the radio when he felt a droplet land on his face. He looked up to the cloudy sky only to feel another droplet, and another. Before long, the clouds began to pour forth rain which grew in intensity with each passing second.

He simply sat in silence and listened to the rain pattering down on his helmet. Most of the marines put their visors down to avoid getting water inside their suits, but the Lieutenant did not care for the rain. He enjoyed the feeling of serenity it brought.

The marine next to him sat watching a handheld screen. It displayed an image in near-infrared which was directly connected to one of the cameras mounted on the wall. The Lieutenant leaned over to look at the screen, noticing several small white signatures in the distance. "Can you zoom in on those?" he asked.

The marine nodded and intensified the magnification of the image. It was evident from the video feed that their enemy was close now.

The minutes seemed to crawl by as the signatures drew closer and closer on the screen until they neared firing range. The Lieutenant gave one of the men a hand signal, to which the marine nodded and grasped a switch attached to the wall.

As the enemy entered firing range, they cautiously moved forward little by little. "Wait for it," Dallas whispered to himself.

They continued on. "Almost," whispered Dallas. "Just a little further..."

He continued to watch the screen and when he saw that the enemy was close enough, he stood up, bellowing but one word. "Now!"

His marines hastily got to their feet as the soldier flicked the switch on the wall. Bright lights facing the enemy flicked on, temporarily blinding their soldiers and restricting their vision greatly.

Guns burst into action with a hail of high velocity gauss bullets. The enemy was left in the open without any cover, leaving them vulnerable to the well-defended Confederate marines.

The enemy's force attacked the compound in a front-on assault. This allowed the marines guarding the left and right walls to move over to the front wall.

The heavy machine guns tore through enemies with ease. Dallas looked down the barrel of his rifle, firing at anything that moved. He noticed some of the enemy soldiers slipping over in the mud from the heavy rain.

The lights assisted his force in not only restricting enemy vision, but revealing the Kel-Morian's position. As such, it was not long before the enemy began targeting the lights, taking them out one by one. Dallas watched as a marine beside him fell off the wall with a bullet hole through his visor. Another nearby defender received a shot to the chest, causing him to fall for a moment before standing up again. He fought on, firing at the enemy until two more rounds pierced his torso, causing him to fall to the ground.

The last of the lights was destroyed; robbing the Confederate marine's of one of their greatest advantages. One of the soldiers manning a heavy machine gun fired into the enemy in a constant stream of bullets. In the darkness, the only thing to give away the enemy soldier's positions was the flashes of light coming from their rifles. He fired on, taking out target after target until he felt something make impact with the left side of his body. He looked down, pressing a hand to the impact site. As he raised his hand, the rain slowly mingled with the blood covering it before he felt another round pierce into his side. He fell over, his body motionless. "They're flanking us from the left!" shouted a marine, his voice competing with screams, rain and gun fire.

Several of the marines rushed to the left wall, firing as they moved. Their guns tore through the enemy as two of their own fell from Kel-Morian gunfire. Dallas held his position on the front wall, shooting at targets as their firing guns illuminated them. Rain splashed on the barrel of his gun, trickling down it as he reloaded. He returned to firing at the enemies who drew closer to the wall. He heard the desperate shout of a marine from the left wall. "Rockets!"

He turned to look just in time to see a section of the wall erupt into a fireball as a deafening explosion tore into it. The explosion was followed by two more which blasted a section of the left wall away. He looked down from the wall, seeing that the enemy was too close to give his force any advantage any longer. "To the centre of the base!" he shouted.

He couldn't help but gaze at the fallen marines on the wall for a moment as he made his way off the fortification. Their blood mixed with the rain, pouring over the sides of the wall. The remaining marines jumped off the defences, regrouping in the base's lower grounds. It took but a moment for the enemy to start climbing the wall.

As soon as he saw a head emerge over the wall, he fired. The shot pierced the enemy soldier's visor, causing the fighter to fall back over the wall. Guns burst into action once again as the Kel-Morians scaled the wall. Two of Dallas' soldiers took to the heavy machine guns on the ground level. He turned his attention to the smoking gap in the wall, from which soldiers were now pouring in. They tried to run to the cover of supply crates but most were shot down as they tried. A marine standing in front of Dallas fell to the ground, blood mixing with water beneath his fresh corpse.

The Lieutenant fired into the broken section of the wall, hearing screams as he did so. His marines fought on but it seemed to be to no avail, for the enemy simply kept coming. His forces were dwindling. He noticed that several of the enemy had broken through, finding cover. He did the same, running to the cover of a stack of crates. He poked his head over the top and fired at the opposing forces, taking out two with one burst of his rifle. He heard another scream behind him as another of his men fell. He looked back to see only four men left, one of whom still clung to the heavy machine gun turret, firing away.

The marine on the turret sustained a shot to the shoulder, but he simply kept firing. He let off a long-drawn battle cry as he held his finger on the trigger, ripping into the enemy. Four Kel-Morians fell by his hand before he received another shot that sent him to his knees. He summoned his remaining energy and continued to fire, taking out another three foes before receiving a shot to the heart, forcing his limp body to the ground. Dallas watched helplessly as the last of his men fell. He had received a shot to the arm, but as he ducked behind the crates and looked back, he realised he was the last one alive.

Memories of his loved ones back on Mar Sara flashed through his mind. The guns had stopped firing, and the only sound left was shouting from the enemy and the pelting of rain.

He took a deep breath and charged towards one of the heavy machine guns. He took the handles and pulled the trigger. Enemy after enemy fell as guns erupted into a hail of fire once again. He marked his targets and fired bursts of magnetically propelled rounds into every soldier he could. They hid behind boxes and supplies, trying to fire at him. A shot bounced off the edge of his shoulder and another pierced his leg. Adrenaline took care of the pain as he concentrated on firing. Another handful of enemies fell before he was shot in the back three times by soldiers who had climbed over the walls. He fell to the ground, holding his chest. With the last of his strength he pushed himself up, kneeling on the ground as he picked up a rifle and continued firing. Two enemies fell as bullets ripped through their visors. He managed to kill yet another before sustaining a hit to the chest.

He dragged his body to a stack of crates and propped himself up to a sitting position. He could feel his life-force pouring out from every wound. He looked to the side, seeing all the fallen soldiers, both enemy and friendly. Rain still pattered down on their lifeless bodies which lay scattered across the compound. He reached into a pouch on his suit and pulled out a folded photo. He opened it and smiled as he looked at his family, rubbing the thumb of his power suit over the picture of his wife and son. Dallas wondered what the fate of his son would be. He took relief in the knowledge that Roland would take care of him no matter what. His eyes slowly closed as the life left his body. The compound fell silent as only the pattering of rain sounded in the dark night.

On Mar Sara a boy felt the last breath of his father. He would never forgive those responsible and would one day stop at nothing to destroy them.


	2. Chapter 1: A Painful Awakening

**Chapter 1**

**A Painful Awakening**

Roland and the five marines who accompanied him were the only survivors of a once proud platoon. After rescuing the colonists Roland's eyes befell a sight that was almost too much to bear. On the journey back to Mar Sara, he was greeted only by the cold silence of space and an empty seat beside him. The seat that Dallas would have been sitting in, had he survived. Despite his own grieving, he knew what had to be done. He knew that he had to tell Dallas' family the news. Simply thinking about the task made him weak at the knees. He felt as though he had swallowed acid, leaving his insides to turn to mush.

The sun was high in the sky when he reached his deceased friend's house. He knocked on the door, his heart pounding in his chest, his mouth dry. He wore his formal military suit. For all the badges and medals which hung upon his uniform, there was nothing that could take his feeling of failure away.

Dallas' wife, Jill, opened the door, a smile on her face as she expected to see her husband. Her light brown hair fluttered in the gentle breeze which seemed to exacerbate the silence. She looked at Roland who held a folded Dominion flag with Dallas' medals strewn atop it. He could not speak, for he was trying too hard to hold back the tears, but as he saw the smile drop from her face and tears well in her eyes he could do naught but yield to his emotions. She placed a hand over her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief. "No," she said, tears running down her cheeks. "No, no. Please no!"

Roland hugged her in a comforting manner, but in truth he needed as much comfort as she did. Dallas was like a brother to him, and losing him was like losing family.

It was at the doorstep they stayed, both weeping in the pain of the tender wound which had opened up in their hearts. It seemed like hours before they pulled themselves together. The two moved to the kitchen, where they talked over a cup of coffee. Jill had called various close relatives to inform them of the bad news. Roland knew that he had to tell Dallas' son the ill fated news as well. "How do we tell Adren?"

"He's been quiet lately. He won't talk and he's barely eating," she took a deep breath and wiped away a tear. "I think he already knows. I think he's a..." Jill turned away from Roland's gaze as tears welled afresh in her eyes.

He placed a hand on her back. "It's alright, I know. Dallas told me he may be a telepath," he nodded. "I can feel it now. There's definitely something powerful lurking inside him."

"But how do we protect him? I won't let them take him away. I _can't_ let them."

"Don't worry, he'll be safe. Wranglers don't pass through here. That's the advantage of being in a small town."

"And if they do?"

"Then it'll be they're unlucky day to say the least. Dallas was a great man. The soldiers here would stop at nothing to protect your family, if for nothing else to at least honour his memory. And you know I wouldn't let anything happen to him."

Jill nodded, her tears having ceased but her breath still quivering. There was a knock at the door, startling the two for a moment before Jill stood up to answer it, Roland following close behind. The door opened, revealing another woman on the other side. She wore simple light brown coloured pants and a plain top of a light khaki colour. She had brown hair and dark eyes from which tears rolled down her cheeks. Roland had seen the woman several times before. She was Jill's close friend, Robin.

The two women hugged each other in a comforting embrace. The three stood and conversed for a moment before Jill placed a hand over her mouth as she remembered her son. She had been so caught up in all that was going on that telling him the ill fated news slipped her mind. "Adren," she said. "We need to tell him now."

"It's alright," said Roland. "You two stay here, I'll tell him."

Jill nodded before the two women walked into another room. Roland walked through the house to the Adren's room. He gently pushed the door open, seeing the young boy sitting on the floor, simply staring out the window at the sky. Roland carefully entered the room, seeing several toys strewn across the floor. "Adren?" he said, receiving no response from the boy.

He looked down at one of the toys, kneeling and picking it up for closer inspection. It was an action figure of a male soldier, but Adren had torn the head off it. As Roland looked across the floor, all the toys of a similar appearance had been treated in the same manner. Roland put the toy back down and sat next to the child. "You know don't you?" asked Roland in a gentle voice.

Adren simply nodded. "Are you going too?"

Roland wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "No. I'm not goin' anywhere."

He noticed a spider on the windowsill. He raised his hand, preparing to strike it when he realised it was already dead. It looked like it had died while it was still walking.

"I looked at it and then it died," said Adren.

Roland nodded in understanding. "You have a powerful gift, Adren. You've gotta learn how to control it, or bad things could happen."

"I don't know how," said the boy, looking up at Roland.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I can teach you."

The funeral for Dallas was held two days later. The field was crowded as a great many of the soldiers came to pay their respects to the fallen Lieutenant and his family.

Dallas' coffin was adorned with wreaths of flowers and lush plants. The Lieutenant's family and close friends stood closest to the casket, their eyes shedding tears freely.

Roland stood next to Adren, his hand on the boy's shoulder as they watched the coffin being lowered while a priest spoke. Five men with rifles fired blank shots into the air three times. Though they stood some distance away, many who were present blinked at the very least during each shot, but not Adren. He simply stood staring at the grave. Roland could feel the hatred emanating from the boy. His desire to kill those responsible seemed to grow with every shot which was fired.

The next few days to pass were hard on everyone. Roland did his best to teach the boy how to control his powers so that he could avoid being detected by Wranglers. It was no easy task, for Roland saw that Adren did not wish to hold back his powers but simply wanted to unleash them.

Just over two weeks after the burial of Dallas, Adren's seventh birthday came. Many showed up to assist in the celebrations. Children roamed about the house as mothers and fathers spoke with one another. No one spoke of Dallas's death while they were there. They all saw how hard Roland and Jill were trying to make the day a happy one for Adren. One which was not haunted by the memories of a fallen loved one. Adren could feel the inner turmoil of his mother and so he smiled and feigned happiness for the day. He ran around, playing and laughing with the other children. Roland knew what the boy was doing, but seeing Jill smiling for the first time since the ill fated news brought him some peace. Adren was at least happy that his plan was working, for smiles had a habit of being contagious.

And so time went by and the pain of Dallas' passing eased. It never left completely, but it was no longer an unbearable agony which drained away their very lives. Roland continued to train the boy, and progress was made, albeit rather slow. The child still held a passionate hatred for those who slew his father. A year had passed since the death of Adren's father and the war between the Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine continued to rage across the stars.

A cool night breeze yielded a pleasant reprieve from the day's searing heat. As the bustling work of the day calmed into a restful night, Adren and Jill sat by the television. The news was on. With it came stories of the war ravaging entire communities and laying waste to people's livelihoods as fringe worlds were relentlessly targeted.

The anchorman was addressing the next story when he suddenly paused, placing a finger to his ear in order to hear an incoming message. He looked back up to the camera. "We've just received word that there has been an attack on a large mining complex on Mar Sara close to one of the major military compounds. We cross live to our reporter Anna Geila."

The image flicked to the brunette reporter who had her hair in a bun and wore a maroon jacket. She stood with a Confederate Colonel who had a grey moustache and was wearing his military uniform, his hair covered by a beret. "Colonel, this is indeed a daring attack by the Kel-Morian Combine, so close to a large military base. What do you think they hope to achieve by this?"

The reporter held her microphone to the Colonel who spoke with a clear, confident voice. "These men are essentially nothing more than terrorists, and they will be treated as such. It is my belief that they hope to spread fear into our forces. They are trying to send a message that no one is safe, but I feel differently. We will show the civilian populations that there is nothing to fear. We will mobilise a force and we _will_ crush all opposition swiftly."

The interview continued, but Adren could sense his mother's despair. "What's wrong?" he asked with a child's curiosity, looking his mother in the eyes.

"It's nothing," she said, forcing a smile.

There was a knock at the door. Jill walked over and opened it, seeing Roland standing in the doorway. "I know why you're here," she said, keeping her voice low so that Adren could not hear. "It's all over the news. I recognised the Colonel they interviewed. The Kel-Morians are close to _our_ town, aren't they?"

Roland looked down and nodded. "I've been ordered to get to the military base. I'll be going with the Confederate forces to engage the enemy."

"Don't go. Please," Jill pleaded. "You've always been like a father to Adren. If he loses another, I don't think he'll be able to cope. You're like a brother to me, and I don't think _I'd_ be able to cope either."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, trust me. My concern is for the two of you. If any of their forces somehow manage to slip past us, the town will be defenceless. If you see or hear anything, if you so much as suspect there's something wrong, you hide. You find a safe place and you don't come out until we get back. I'll find you, no matter where the two of you go."

"I will, just promise me you'll stay safe. If anything does happen to me, then you'll look after..."

Roland held up a hand. "Don't even say that. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"But if it does..."

"Then you know I'll take care of him," he cut her off again. "No matter what happens I'll look after him."

She nodded in acceptance and smiled as she wiped away a tear. Knowing her mind was at ease, he also smiled before walking over to Adren who sat watching the television. "Hey, buddy," Roland said in a gentle voice. "I'm going away for a little while but I'll be back."

"Are you going to stop the bad men?" Adren looked into Roland's eyes.

"Yes," He nodded. "I'm going to make sure they can't hurt you or anyone else."

"Can I come too?"

Roland smiled. "No, not this time. You have to stay here but I'll be back as soon as I can."

He gave Adren a hug before the two walked to Jill who still stood by the door. He placed a hand on Jill's arm. "You take care of yourself," he looked back down at Adren. "And you, mister, stay out of trouble and look after your mother while I'm gone," he ruffled Adren's hair, who gave him a salute.

Roland entered the darkness of the street beyond, his body illuminated by naught but dim street lights. He rounded a corner and his figure disappeared out of sight.

The night wore on and before long Jill had to put Adren to sleep. She was truly fearful for what was to come, not for herself but for her son. That night she slept next to Adren who slumbered peacefully. Even in his dormant state he could sense the inner-turmoil of his mother. He subconsciously entered her mind, quelling the thoughts and bringing her a sense of peace which she had not felt for a long time. Her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

Morning light burst through cracks between the closed curtains on Adren's window, waking Jill up. She stretched and her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. She had a smile on her face as she reached a hand over to her son. The smile faded instantly as her hand grasped nothing but an empty space next to her. She rolled over to see that no one lay next to her. "Adren?" she said.

Panic took a hold, her heart beating faster. "Adren?" she called.

The sound of something breaking in another room caught Jill's ear. She rushed to the source of the sound, her heart pounding in her chest now. Fear claimed her as she prepared for the worst. She walked into the kitchen, seeing naught but a broken plate on the floor. She heard the soft pattering of footsteps, footsteps which appeared to be sneaking. 'Sneaking or stalking?' She thought.

She looked around the kitchen, the knife rack catching her gaze. She walked carefully and quietly towards it, gently sliding a large, sharp knife from the holder. She grasped it firmly and tried to calm her breath so as to make as little noise as possible. The footsteps drew closer. They appeared to stop for a moment, then turn into another room. Her heart beat so hard it felt as though it would burst free of her chest at any moment. She saw a glimpse of movement from the crack beneath a closed door leading into the kitchen. The door knob slowly turned and the door creaked open a crack. She could not see through the crack for she stood face-on with the door. The door creaked open a little more, but still she could see nothing. Her grip tightened around the handle of the knife, readying herself for what was to come. All of a sudden, the door opened faster until a hand could be seen, then an arm. The panic which grasped her desisted as she saw her son standing with a dust pan and brush. She dropped the knife on the table top and moved over to hug him tightly. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was getting myself breakfast and I dropped the plate. What's wrong?" he asked inquisitively.

"Nothing," she said, hugging him again. "Nothing's wrong. Here, give me that, I'll clean this up."

She set about the task of cleaning up the mess before making him breakfast. The day wore on as the sun burned brightly in the sky. Night came without anything remarkable having happened throughout the day. As Jill watched the news, the reporter claimed that the forces which had set off had engaged the enemy earlier in the day and been successful in the preliminary strikes. As it crossed live to the reporter on the scene, gunshots and explosions sounded in the near distance. The reporter spoke of the battle still raging through the night, but a confident commander on the scene predicted victory before sun rise.

Soon weariness claimed both Jill and her son, and so they departed for their beds. She once again found herself sleeping on the same bed as Adren. As they lay in the silence of night, the faint sounds of explosions could be heard in the distance.

The next day was tedious on Jill. She attempted to relax but every time she tried, anxiety would nestle itself in the very depths of her heart. She found herself unable to simply sit still and thus she decided it best to go on a walk with Adren.

As they left the house Jill looked cautiously about her, but all was normal. A man walked past the two, giving them a nod and a smile as he went by. Jill took Adren's hand and the two set off down the concrete path which flanked the asphalt road. Some of the red desert sand had blown onto the paths and roads, splattering colour on their lifeless surfaces.

As they walked, there was a silence in the air. There were people still populating the streets and every now and again a vehicle would go past, but a certain feeling gripped Jill. It was strange to her, almost like a feeling of impending doom.

After a short walk, they stopped at a park. Benches and tables were set into the red earth with play equipment a short distance away. The area was surrounded by a short wooden fence, creating a circle with several gaps in its circumference where people could enter or exit the park. There were several people sitting on some of the benches, conversing with one another. Adren and Jill sat on one of the empty benches, simply enjoying the calm surrounding.

Time passed by quickly as they sat and talked. They were sitting in silence when Jill heard a strange humming sound in the distance. She looked up at the cloudy sky. She caught a glimpse of an object flying as it passed through the crack between two clouds. She took Adren's hand. "We should head back now."

He nodded and the two stood up and walked at a somewhat hurried pace. As they walked along the streets, Jill noticed a sense of panic in the people. An eerie silence took a hold as the only sound to be heard was the light tapping of their footsteps.

A thunderous sound erupted as an explosion tore through a building not far away. Two gunships flew overhead, flying low to the ground in an attack formation. The crackling of gunfire pierced the silence as a multitude of explosions and screams ensued. Jill spun around to see three Kel-Morian soldiers in powered combat suits. "Stop right there!" one bellowed as they closed in rapidly.

The two ran as fast as their legs would allow, the Kel-Morian soldiers following close behind. Screams and bullet fire continued to burst out around the once peaceful town. Adren reached the front gate of their house. He stopped to wait for his mother who was several paces behind.

One of the soldiers following them took aim and fired. Blood poured out of a fresh wound in Jill's left leg, the impact causing her to fall to the ground.

"Run, Adren," said Jill. "Run as fast as you can, I'll be right behind you!"

"But..." he started to protest.

"Just go! There's no time!" she interrupted.

As Jill knelt on the footpath one of the Kel-Morians grappled her and dragged her away. Adren ran into the house, slamming the door shut and running towards the kitchen. Gunshots and explosions continued to ring out, though the walls of the house muffled the sounds. He picked up a knife and hid in the pantry.

There was a loud crash as the soldiers broke through the front door. Adren tried to steady his breath thus that they would not hear him as easily. Their clumsy feet gave away their position as they stomped on the ground while searching the house. He could sense two of them in the house.

Their footsteps drew closer to the kitchen until at last one entered. The Kel-Morian looked cautiously around, his gun ready to fire at any second. "Come out come out wherever you are," he taunted.

The soldier's visor was retracted, allowing Adren to see the man's face. The man had brown eyes and hair of a matching colour, his face bearing the scruff of a two-day-old beard. He turned around, his back now facing Adren.

Something took hold of Adren. An anger that burnt away all other rational thought. Silently and carefully he opened the pantry door and slipped out, the knife still in hand. He climbed silently onto a table just behind the soldier, holding his knife high in the air, the point of its blade ready to pierce into its target.

"Hey," he whispered, causing the man to turn around in surprise.

As Adren's enemy turned, he plunged the knife into the man's forehead with all his strength, pulling it out and stabbing it in again before the man fell to the floor with a crash. Blood ran over Adren's hands.

He ran behind the table, hiding from sight. He heard footsteps rushing towards the kitchen as the sounds of battle continued in the background. The second Kel-Morian entered the room. Adren heard the man curse as he saw the carnage. "What the hell? Where are you?" he shouted.

The man turned for a split second before Adren sprang out from hiding, slashing the man's neck. The man fired his gun in desperation as he placed a hand to his neck, trying to stop the heavy bleeding. The shots missed and Adren plunged the blade through the soldier's eye.

Adren looked at the bodies for a moment in shock. It was only then he remembered his mother. He ran to the front door to look outside.

The town was in disarray. Dark smoke poured forth into the air as fire crackled and gunshots sounded. Explosions shook the ground and distant screams still filled the air. Adren stood at the door, watching the chaos in utter shock. Along the street a civilian man was gunned down as he ran from the Kel-Morians. A car speeding further along the road erupted in a ball of fire a hail of gauss rifle shots tore through its fuel tank.

By the time he noticed an enemy soldier approaching it was too late to do anything. The man was standing before the boy, his gun raised and ready to fire. The man's index finger gently started to squeeze the trigger on the gun. The man's mouth curved in a wicked smile just before a bullet hole burst into his forehead. His lifeless body fell to the ground.

Adren's eyes were open wide in fear at coming so close to death. Kel-Morian soldiers began retreating, many falling as they tried. Adren watched as two turned around to fire a salvo of bullets before one fell to the ground. The other tried to ran but fell as a hail of bullets swiftly felled him mid-step. A Kel-Morian gunship flew in the near distance, smoke leaking out of a flaming hole. It plummeted towards the ground and erupted in a loud explosion as it collided with the earth.

Confederate forces moved into the vicinity, driving off the attackers. One of the Confederate soldiers clad in a CMC powered combat suit approached the boy, who still stood silently, looking at the blood covering his hands. The soldier knelt in front of Adren and placed his gun on the ground beside him, the barrel still smoking. The man retracted his visor, revealing Roland's face. "Adren, are you alright?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Roland embraced the child in a hug. "Don't worry. I'm here now. The bad men are all gone now and they aren't coming back. Where's your mother?"

"I don't know," said Adren, almost choking on his words. "They took her."

"It's okay, we'll find her. I promise. For now you can stay with me and I'll look after you."

"I want to learn how to fight," said the boy.

Roland opened his mouth to protest but considered for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

He took Adren by the hand and they set off down the war-torn road.


	3. Chapter 2: I Want To Unleash You

_[Author's note: Apologies for the late completion of the next instalment. The final year at university is taking its toll on all activities which aren't work related, however, the next chapter is at last complete and I've got some juicy action scenes for you all ;). If people still like the story/where it is heading, by all means let me know, reviewing the chapters is how I know you're all still interested in the story :). Anyhow, if there are any suggestions or things that people would really like to see in the story, I will do my best to incorporate it into what I have planned. Enjoy!]_

**Chapter 2**

**I Don't Want To Control You, I Want To Unleash You**

Time passed slowly but steadily. The hole that marred Adren's heart continued to consume his thoughts and dreams. Roland did his best to ease the flame that burned within the boy, assuming the role of a surrogate father for the child. His wife and he had always wanted a child, for they had been unable to conceive one of their own. It was like a blessing wrapped in the guise of a curse.

As he had promised, Roland taught Adren how to use weapons. The soldiers knew the child and both pitied him yet admired his spirit. He was determined. He would not simply accept defeat. He was not the only to have lost loved ones in the war, and he was not the only one who desired revenge. On this the soldiers found common ground with him, and so they looked after him, teaching him tactics and how to fight like they did. In-between school, Adren would meet Roland at the barracks and train in the ways of war, learning all that he could.

After the passing of two years Adren stood at the age of ten. A day would always stand out in his memory from this age. It was a bitter day for not only him but also the marines in whose company he was accepted. He sat with some of the men at the mess hall, Roland sitting by his side. "No, you need to watch your damn ammo count is what you need to do," said Roland with a chuckle to one of the soldiers sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"So I'm a spray and pray type of guy, it works don't it? Trust me, Private Dan always knows what he's doing!" replied the marine, pointing a thumb towards himself as he spoke in third person, a southern drawl clinging to his words. His smile curled his lips upon his clean shaven face. His black hair and dark eyes seemed to almost exacerbate his partly gaunt face.

"I'm with the Lieutenant on this one," said another marine. "One day you're gonna be caught in a hella bad fight and you'll need every bullet you can get."

Another soldier joined the group at the table, having overheard the last part of the conversation. He sat next to Roland. "Lieutenant, eh? So you finally got that promotion? It's about damn time!"

The soldiers gave a quick "hoorah!" to which Roland smiled and chuckled. "That's right, baby. I'm a lean, mean, commanding machine now. How long do we think until you've got these stripes, kiddo?" he asked, turning to Adren and tapping the boy's shoulder with the back of his hand.

Adren smiled. "Three years," he joked.

The soldiers laughed and Roland ruffled his hair. "Hey, Adren," started Private Dan. "Do the cup thing," he slid the cup from which Adren was drinking to the other side of the table.

Roland laughed. "No, man, none of this 'cup thing', you know there are people here that would report him straight to the Ghost Academy. One day someone is gonna..."

Private Dan raised a hand and interrupted Roland. "Don't worry, there ain't gonna be no 'one day'. None of the high ranking officers who'd report him come in here anyway. Look around, man; there ain't a single person in here who'd see harm come to him, so come on. Pretty please?"

"With a cherry on top," said another marine.

Roland shook his head, a smile still stuck to his face. Adren enjoyed sitting in the mess hall, the mood was always of a light hearted nature. "C'mon," Private Dan begged, the other soldiers joining in.

"Alright, alright, you bastards," Roland chuckled and gave the boy a nod. "Go ahead, Adren."

The child outstretched his arm, aiming it at the cup, his eyes intensely focused on it. The marines started to speak words of encouragement cheerily mixed with many an excitedly shouted "come on" and "yes".

The cup started to wobble slightly. It jerked a forward a little before slowly sliding towards Adren's hand. This fuelled those looking on, their shouts becoming more frivolous and energetic, and their smiles growing wider. "Yes, come on!" said one of the men.

The cup slid at a faster pace, gliding into Adren's hand and spilling some of the water on the table. The soldiers threw their hands up and gave cheers. Smiles and laughter filled the air. It was moments like these Adren would always remember with a spark of happiness in his heart.

Some of the marines were focused on the televisions hanging from the walls. Some of them shushed those beside them as more and more faces turned to the televisions. "Yo, listen up, guys," said one of the soldiers, looking at the group Adren was sitting with.

"Can someone turn these things up?" yelled a marine.

The volume was increased so that all those in the mess hall could hear as a deadly silence lingered in the air, changing the scene of vigorous happiness almost instantly. It was a news report, supposedly a special announcement. A reporter stood onscreen, a large city backdrop behind him as well as thousands of people cheering. "The crowd's uproar here of Korhal IV is clearly evident as the Guild War finally comes to an end. The Confederacy has claimed victory as peace was reportedly negotiated with the Kel-Morian Combine. Although Moria has been left independent, its supporting guilds have been captured by the Confederacy. Many who were part of the Kel-Morian Combine are still at large, having fled from Confederate forces. It is believed that those directly responsible for many terrorist attacks on the civilian populations of worlds such as Mar Sara, Tyrador VIII and Chau Sara have not been located by the Confederacy. The search continues, but officials say there is little hope of them being located. For farmers, the end of the war is especially welcome news. The agricultural community will be sure to benefit from this victory, as the decrease in money spent on weapon manufacturing will see a steady increase in food production."

The report continued as many of the soldiers turned away from the television in a state of almost disbelief. They knew that the war was not going well for the Kel-Morians, but they thought that they would at least receive one last chance at avenging their loved ones who fell in the assault on their town. One of the marines shot up from his seat, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "This is a load of bullshit!" he said, his face screwed up as he fought desperately to fight back the tears. "We were gonna get justice for what those monsters did! How are we supposed to do that now? How do I get justice for my daughter? How do I get justice for my wife? How do I..." he held a fist to his mouth as tears rolled down his cheeks, unable to finish his sentence.

The marines close to him tried their best to comfort him, but everyone felt the same. Another marine also broke into shouting. "They've still got my family! Those bastards that escaped still have them, and now I can't do a thing to get them back 'cause they're hidin' like damn cockroaches! The Confederacy ain't gonna go lookin' for them! They've got their victory; they don't care what happens now!"

Angry remarks and saddened faces filled the hall. Roland buried his face in the palm on his hand, a tear trickling down his cheek. Adren looked at him with watery eyes, his mouth ajar but words unable to form. Roland nodded and wrapped an arm around the child. "I know, kid. I know," he took a deep breath and wiped away the tear. "We'll figure something out. Don't you worry, they'll pay for what they've done and we'll get your mother back. You'll see."

Five years seemed to pass quickly for Adren, his mind growing ever focused, his powers growing stronger. With hatred his fuel and determination his spark, Adren trained with such vigour that it was not long before he was allowed by those of high rank to train with live weapons. He trained on the practice range with the other soldiers as well as using their obstacle courses to train his body. Roland tried his best to help Adren in the training of his psionic abilities, but most of the time it was to little avail, as Roland could only teach the boy so much. He was, however, able to teach Adren how to continue hiding his abilities from those that would see him sent to the Ghost Academy. The teenager did not even wish to think about the consequences of being sent to that accursed place where his memory would be altered and his personality obliterated, leaving all but an obedient husk of what he once was.

It was a hot summer's afternoon, the ground itself rippling with waves of heat, yet still Adren crouched with weapon in hand, his eyes looking down the sights of his gun, his aim focused on his target in the distance. The heat waves distorted the image, making targeting especially hard, yet he simply stood, focusing his mind. The very air around him was silent, as if waiting with held breath in anticipation of his next move. He gently started to squeeze the trigger. He corrected his aim one last time, moving the gun slightly to the left. He fired three shots, one missing outright, another grazing the target dummy's shoulder, and the final bullet hitting the chest dead centre.

A hand came crashing down on his shoulder. "Well done, kid," said a somewhat raspy voice. The man from whom the voice sounded gave Adren a smile. His hair was short and light brown, his face clean shaven as was almost all those present in the Mar Sara garrison. His grey eyes were asquint in the bright sun, showing the faint yet present wrinkles from forty years of age. His cap was the only thing to shade his eyes from the glaring sun.

"Thank you, Sergeant Bakes, but I thought only one of those shots was any good," Adren stated.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid. That was a hard shot to pull off. That target is over three hundred and fifty yards away, so I'd say you did damn well. Besides, I don't know many other fifteen-year-olds who could land two hits on a target that far away. Next time try breathing out slowly as you fire. Just take your time with the shot, line your sights up and then when you're ready, only then pull the trigger."

Adren gave the Sergeant a nod and shouldered the weapon again. He waited, taking his time to line up the target. He slowly exhaled then fired three shots once again, each soaring through the air and hitting the target in the chest. A smile curved Sergeant Bakes' lips as he watched the target through his binoculars. He gave Adren a nod of approval, to which the boy could not help but smile in happiness.

"Excellent work, that's enough for today," said Bakes with a nod.

"Yes, sir," Adren saluted the Sergeant who returned the gesture.

The day soon came to an end and as usual, Adren met up with Roland before returning with him to their home, where dinner lay ready and waiting. As soon as the two walked through the door the smell of roasted meat caressed their nostrils. Roland's wife, Mary, came to the door to greet the two. "Dinner's ready, so go and get changed quickly," she still wore a cooking apron, her thick black hair tied in a bun. Her pale mauve top and white pants contrasted strongly with her dark skin. Her clothes still held remnants of the perfume she had worn to work. She worked as a teacher at the local junior school. Since she loved children it only made sense.

Adren went upstairs to his room to take off his shirt which was covered in dirt from shooting practice outside. He slipped on a loose yet comfortable red coloured shirt, changing his pants as well before heading downstairs to join his surrogate family at the dinner table.

"So," said Mary. "How did today go?"

Roland smiled and looked at Adren. "Well I've been hearing some rumours that we've got a little deadeye in the making. But apart from our marksman here pulling off some fine shots, today's been pretty darn hectic to say the least. Everyone's rushin' around to make preparations for the arrival of Colonel Karrasar. Which reminds me," Roland's expression became somewhat more sober. "While he's here, you're going to have to be extremely careful. He's most likely going to have guards with him, and I would suspect, with all the anti-Confederacy terrorists which have been going around, those guards will be psionics. He won't wanna take any chances with his safety, so I think it's best if you just stay out of sight for a couple of days. The last thing we want is you getting caught and taken off to have your brain wiped and every piece of who you are lost. Are we in agreement?"

Adren nodded. "Don't worry; I don't want to have who I am erased. I'll stay out of trouble."

Roland and Mary smiled. "Good," he said. "See, nothing to worry about," he said to Mary.

"I know, he's a good boy," she turned her gaze to Adren, who couldn't help but smile and shake his head. "And I'm sure he _will_ stay out of trouble."

The next days to come provided naught but frustration for most. Preparations were made for the arrival of Colonel Karrasar and the whole garrison was abuzz with talk of his pending visit. Adren spent one last day with the soldiers before staying in the safety of his home. He sat at the mess hall table with the soldiers, Private Dan and Sergeant Bakes among them. "I reckon I'm in with a pretty damn good chance here," said a marine with a cocky smile. He had short, light brown hair, not short enough to be a crew cut, but long enough to be a few centimetres in length. His eyes were of a similar colour to his hair, light brown, somewhat hazel in appearance. His face was shaved clean of facial hair, his cheekbones high but not all that prominent.

The soldiers nearby chuckled. "The Colonel's looking for the best of the best, what makes you think you're in the running, Jake?" joked Sergeant Bakes, a smile on his face.

"Hey," said Jake, the cocky smile still curving his lips. "I'm the best damn sniper in this system!"

"Oh please," said the soldier sitting next to him with a laugh. The man got up out of his chair and stood facing Jake. "My 'little friend' would have a better chance than you," he gestured towards his crotch before looking at the group with a loud cackle.

The soldiers laughed, as did Jake who proceeded to punch the soldier in the genitals, spurring yet more laughter as the man sat back down, his hands covering his crotch. Jake let off a chortle and rubbed the man's bald head playfully, the soldier slapped Jakes leg with the back of his hand while he too laughed, as he knew it was all in the name of fun and games. "Damn," said Adren. "You must be a good shot if you can hit Ray's 'little friend'."

The soldiers laughed aloud, one slapping the table as laughter bellowed from his mouth. Ray could not help but cackle as well. "Damn it, you're supposed to be on my side here," he chuckled.

"How 'bout you, Adren," said Lacy, one of the medics. "You've got some serious potential; I think you should show the Colonel what you've got."

"I'd love to, but I'm planning on staying inside for the next couple of days," he replied.

"Aw, but why would you wanna do that?" she asked.

"C'mon, Lacy, you know the answer to that," said Sergeant Bakes with his characteristic raspy voice. "That's some damn good thinking, Adren. It ain't worth the risk of you being discovered as a psionic. Just remember to stay out of trouble, no matter what happens."

"Don't you worry, I will be. But seriously, what's the worst that could happen in the few days he's here?"

"These are strange times," said Private Dan. "There are terrorists coming up all over the place, all of 'em wanting one thing."

"And what's that?" asked Jake.

"To do as much damage to the Confederacy as possible. The Colonel is a high ranking officer who's rumoured to be involved in pretty high-end projects. Taking out him would be a major setback."

"Oh come on, there's no need to get the kid all worked up like that," Bakes turned back to Adren. "Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen. And even if it does, you stay inside and out of sight, got it?"

"Yes, mother," he said with a cheeky smile, to which the others laughed.

Bakes chuckled and shook his head, playfully slapping Adren's arm before taking a sip of his drink.

In the days which followed, Adren stayed out of sight until after four days of living as a recluse, the Colonel finally arrived. Adren stood at the door of the house the morning of the Colonel's arrival, saying goodbye to Roland. "Don't worry, he'll be gone in a couple of days and you'll be able to go back to the garrison. Whatever happens, just stay inside until then, it'll all be over soon enough, I promise," he hugged Adren.

To him Adren had truly become like a son. To him, that they did not share the same blood was of no consequence. Roland thought it as trivial as the superficial difference of his skin being dark and Adren's white. Adren felt the same way, seeing Roland as a father. When he did think of his real father, he was filled with anger more than sorrow. He was angry that he never had the chance to get to know his father all that well, and that he didn't receive the chance to feel true sorrow. He felt hollow. In the company of the marines he could forget about it all and simply enjoy their presence, leaving behind the feeling like he was half devoid of a soul.

He lay down on his bed, two pillows behind him and his hand behind his head propping him up slightly, not quite sitting up, but not quite lying down. He watched the television which sat atop a table in his room. The cream coloured table was in line with the bed and pushed against the wall, leaving a gap between the table's beginning and the bed's end. The walls of his room were painted with a very pale yellow, his curtains a light beige to match the walls. Posters were hung up around his room, mostly posters used by the Confederacy which featured marines or tanks, some with fleets of battlecruisers, wraith fighters scattered in-between the hulking ships. There was a poster with a Goliath, a rising sun behind it and marines standing at the war machine's feet, a flag planted in the ground. Other tables and shelves in his room had model ships, toys, magazines and books strewn among them, yet most of them were neatly organised. A picture of his father and mother holding him as a young child was kept in a drawer, out of sight, for he had decided to try his best at moving on instead of lingering in the past. When he did so, it evoked powerful emotions, rage taking hold of his mind and often manifesting in undesirable ways through his psionic abilities.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said, turning his head to look at the door.

Mary opened the door and popped her head through. "Something's come up and they need me to come in at work," she started.

"Didn't you have the day off today?" he asked.

"I did, but there's been a big mix up. They don't have enough teachers for the day and its parent teacher night, so I may not be home until fairly late, will you be alright here by yourself?"

Adren nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Just stay inside and I'll be back as soon as I can. If you get hungry you can reheat some of the leftovers from last night in the fridge. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"It's fine, I'll be alright, trust me."

"Okay, I'll see you later then," she said, closing the door.

"Bye," he said in a raised voice so that she would hear through the closed door.

He looked outside the window, knowing he was unable to leave the house. He leant forward with a struggle, pulling the curtains closed to cover it. He went back to his lazed position, continuing to watch the movie on the television. It was a strange movie in which spider mines gained a form of sentience. It was supposedly a horror film, but Adren found most of it funny more than anything else due to bad screenplay.

A dart board hung above his television, fixed securely to the wall. In his hand he held darts, which he threw at the board lazily while watching the television screen, using his psionic abilities to retrieve the darts from the board without ever getting off the bed. He tossed the dart, hitting the board almost dead centre before outstretching his arm, sending the dart flying back into his grasp from where he drew his hand back and, without taking aim, slothfully threw it at the board again.

Unbeknownst to him, in a different part of the town a small group of men worked in the grim darkness of a home, all blinds closed so that little light entered. They sat preparing weapons, loading rifles and checking explosives. They stood over a map, making final preparations to their plans, discussing it and pointing at key locations on the map marked with red crosses and circles. For protection they donned full body suits of light armour, mobile enough to move in yet enough protection from light firearms. Upon their faces they wore masks to cover their features thus that should they succeed, their identities would remain unknown. They darted about the room, packing and readying the final pieces of the equipment they would need. As they finalised their plans while standing around the map, the leader of the group gave a few words of encouragement to bolster their spirits, delivering it with enthusiasm while knowing full well many would not live to see another day. He did not care. Upon the conclusion of his words, seeing the zeal in the eyes of his men, he stabbed a knife into a picture of a man which rested on the map's corner. The knife pierced the photo of the man between his eyes. They gave a cheer, smirking with self-satisfaction behind their masks, the final gesture giving them a fanatical lust to see their mission to completion. With their planning concluded, they prepared for their mobilisation and for the implementation of their first steps.

Adren still sat on his bed, the rather long movie reaching its end. He screwed his face up and winced for a split second as a strange feeling coursed through him. It came to him as a shock, as if he had just been jolted with a light dose of electricity. He did not know what it was; he simply had a strange feeling as if something bad was soon to happen. He jumped slightly as a voice sounded in his mind. "Rise in the light or fall in the shadows," it echoed.

He sat perfectly still; the only part of him moving was his eyes which darted about the room. "Hello?" he asked. "Is anyone there?" he said with a raised voice.

He received no answer and so shook it off, thinking the voice to have been naught but the television. And so he continued to feast on chips and watch poor television shows as the time passed by.

The sun started to fall in the sky as darkness began to consume the town. The last rays of red light shone in beams across the sky, the columns of light parted by scattered clouds. He opened the blinds to see the magnificent colours as the sun slowly started to pass below the horizon.

He turned his gaze back to the television and sunk back down into his bed, serenity enveloping his mind and body. The world itself seemed silent, the only noise being that coming from the television.

The moment of tranquillity was all but shattered by the sound of a thunderous explosion in the distance, the whole house shook and car alarms were set off, letting off a series of piercing, chaotic sounds. Adren's eyes widened, his heart seeming to skip a beat from shock. His gaze snapped to the window from which he could see a ball of fire rising into the sky, black smoke mottling the bright flames and twisting high into the sky. He watched for a moment, unable to think clearly.

It was not long before a local news report interrupted the current television program. "We interrupt this program for an emergency broadcast," said a voice as the logo of the local news station appeared. The image changed to that of a reporter who sat in his chair, his tie crooked and hastily donned. Fear had set in his dark eyes as he spoke with a somewhat shaky voice, his dark brown hair only partly combed.

"Hello people of Mar Sara, a large explosion has just rocked the streets of Maraville, tearing through a section of the main hospital in the town. It is suspected to be the work of terrorists who have ruthlessly targeted the civilian population in a daring and desperate attack," the reporter stopped speaking; he looked away from the camera in a look of concentration, placing a finger over his earpiece to better hear what was being said. He looked back up at the camera with a solemn gaze and cleared his throat in a nervous manner. "This just in, there are reports of another bomb somewhere in the town. Demands have just been made by the terrorists who say that the bomb is located in the local junior school. They say that if anyone tries to leave the school or if their demands are not met they will detonate the explosives. Negotiations are being made as police scramble to the site."

The report continued, but Adren had heard enough. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing. He did not know what to do. He thought for a moment then realised what was happening. It was a distraction. 'Then their target is Colonel Karrasar,' he thought to himself.

He sat for a moment, vexed by the deep thoughts passing through his mind. If he went to the school to help Mary and the children, then the Colonel would die alongside his friends and most importantly to him, Roland. If he made his way to the military base to lend them his assistance, he would almost undoubtedly be caught and sent to the Ghost Academy and Mary would most likely be killed by the terrorists. "She will be safe," echoed a voice in his mind.

He flinched at the sound of it, as he did before. "Who are you?" he asked. There was no reply.

He shook his head, and rubbed his eyes trying to make a decision. "The base," he said to himself.

He quickly changed into clothes which he thought would better serve his desire to remain unseen. To blend with the darkness he wore black jeans, a black hooded top and over that a black trench coat. He ran downstairs and opened the front door, looking out at the scene before him. Almost all those in the neighbouring houses had come out of their homes to see what was going on. Sirens sounded as emergency rescue vehicles sped to the scene of the bombing while police vehicles made their way to the school. In the distance, smoke rose high into the sky, a red glow illuminating the writhing column.

He stepped through the door and shut it, setting off down the street at a run as he pulled the hood over his head. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, taking all the shortcuts he knew. He stood helpless against those who claimed his family once before, he would not yield history another chance to repeat itself. And so he ran until his lungs felt as though they were trying to jump out from his mouth itself, and yet he kept running. He was determined to save Roland, a determination which caused all other discomforts of pushing his body beyond its abilities to ebb away in a chaotic storm of emotions.

"Is everything set?" asked the terrorist leader.

"Yes, all attention has been diverted to the school. We're ready to move out on your mark," said his second in command.

"Good," he nodded in satisfaction, a smile twisting his lips behind the mask he wore. "And the device?"

"It's here," said the man, pulling out a strange looking piece of technology. "What is it?"

"This," said the leader. "Is what will block the minds of any psionics who try to get in our way. We don't want our plans to be discovered too early now do we? It's a psychic dampener. It'll be just enough to block them from reading our minds, but apart from that, we'll need to take them out pretty fast. Now tell the men to get ready."

His second in command nodded and walked away. The terrorist leader looked down at the device for a moment. He stood in a secluded loading bay, his men standing close by. The ground beneath them was paved with asphalt, white lines marked into areas to indicate boundaries, parking spaces, and lanes. The silence in the area was almost eerie; the only sound to be heard was the faint sirens in the distance. The air itself seemed still.

The three captured military trucks which were to be used to take them to their target all rumbled gently, their engines running and ready to go. The doors to the back compartments were open, and with the order of their leader, the terrorists boarded the vehicles. Their leader stood for a moment, looking towards the rising smoke from their first set explosion. He boarded the leftmost truck, sitting with his men and hungry for chaotic destruction.

Adren could run no more, he had to stop, to take a few breaths. He leaned against a wall, his heart pounding, every breath painful as he tried to gulp in the air. He knew what would happen if he failed. 'No,' he thought to himself. 'I won't fail... I can't fail... I can't. Not this time.'

"Some things are beyond our control," echoed the voice from before, ringing through his mind.

"No," he said aloud. "No!"

He continued running, a part of him accepting defeat already. His mind wandered back to the memories of losing his family. His eyes grew watery as he ran.

The terrorist vehicles moved onwards, closing in on their destination. "When those doors open, be ready for combat," started the rebel leader. "They won't be expecting an attack, so there shouldn't be too many armed guards. If you see anyone with a weapon, you take them out immediately; the rest can be killed later. And remember, we don't take prisoners. Once the Colonel is dead, you kill anyone you see on sight, understood?"

"Yes, sir," echoed the men.

Roland stood next to the Colonel, a rifle slung around his shoulders. He clapped, as did the Colonel and all others who watched the shot which had just been taken, the bullet having just hit the target with masterful precision.

Although seats were set up, Karrasar stood, the other high ranking officers sat, however. The area they were in was once the main section of the outpost, a large rectangular space with walls that had long ago been used for defensive purposes. With the expansion of the base, the area had become redundant, and so it came to serve as a storage area. Most of the space had been cleared for the Colonel's visit, but many crates were still lying around, in a somewhat more ordered fashion now, however. Five tanks which had been decommissioned were lined up against the left wall, as well as several smaller vehicles. The concrete had been damaged over time, and so it had been taken off, replaced with a carpet of grass to cover the entire area. Targets had been set up along the front wall, and the seats upon which the high ranking officers sat were set up at the back wall. Those who were partaking in the tests were located but a few metres before the officers.

Adren's running had slowed into a jog, his body unable to run any faster, sweat dripping down his face and soaking into his clothes. A stitch had set into his stomach, causing a stabbing pain with each movement he made. He winced with almost every step, but still he kept jogging. He stopped for a moment, collapsing onto his hands and knees. He panted heavily, droplets of sweat falling to the ground. He stayed there for a moment, not moving, just remaining on his hands and knees, his eyes fixed on the concrete. Defeat seemed imminent. His mind played tricks on him, convincing him that he would arrive to see nothing but his friends slaughtered and his surrogate father all but dead.

"Were almost there," said the driver of the truck in which the terrorist leader rode.

"Good," said the leader. "When those doors open, you kill everything. Like I said, go for anyone who's armed first. Remember, no prisoners, no survivors."

The truck started to slow down. The terrorists fell dead silent as the driver was approached by the guards at the first gate. The leader of the group could hear the muffled voices speaking, but most of the words he couldn't make out. The only ones he could hear properly were the last that the guard spoke. "Go on ahead, have a good night."

'Oh we will,' he thought to himself.

"Get ready for some fun," he said, to which his men let off a chuckle.

Private Dan had been chosen to be on guard duty in the area. He stood to the side of the officers. He and Roland exchanged a look and smiled as their friend approached the end of his tests. Jake looked back at the officers, his eyes finding Roland before he raised his eyebrows for a second and shot him a cocky smile. Roland gave him a nod as he prepared to step up to the final test, waiting for the soldier before him to finish his shot.

Roland drew a deep breath and let off a sigh. He put his hand in his pocket to pull out his watch, his fingers brushing against paper. He pulled out the piece of paper instead, smiling as he saw that it was a picture of him standing next to Adren, the boy with a wide smile and a military uniform on. He had forgotten that the picture was in his coat. He thought of the child as the crowd clapped, the sound of their applaud seeming almost drowned out and muffled in his state of distraction.

Adren stood back up, brushing the sand and grit from his hands. "Not this time," he said to himself aloud, brows crossed and his eyes set forward. He set off at a run again, his determination allowing him to run faster and faster. "I'm almost there," he panted. "I'm almost there."

He reached one of the entrances to the base. He knew one of the men on guard duty. "Kip, it's me, it's Adren. You have to let me in!"

The man saw the desperation in the winded teenager. He nodded. "Okay, hold on."

The gate opened and Adren ran through. "What's going on?" asked the man.

"The Colonel and everyone near him are in danger! Have there been any trucks coming into the base recently?"

"Well yeah, three just came in through the west entrance a short while ago. Are you sure that there's a threat?"

"Yes!" said Adren aloud, his eyebrows were raised in a look of utter concern. "Just get as many soldiers as you can and get to the testing area!"

Kip nodded. "Okay," he did not argue.

Roland smiled and clapped profusely as Jake pulled off his final shot, hitting the moving target dead centre, despite how far away it was and how fast it was moving. Jake let off a loud whoop, raising his gun into the air. The Colonel smiled and chuckled as he clapped.

The crowd continued to clap as a truck with military painting slowly pulled into the testing area through one of the large arena-like entrances. It came to a stop approximately forty metres before the officers. The clapping slowly died away as people looked on in confusion, some asking what was going on. "What's that?" asked one of the officers. "It's just stopped, but why a hundred and thirty feet away from us?"

"Is this part of the testing?" asked another.

The two ghost troopers with the Colonel could sense something wasn't right. They both set off towards the truck, Private Dan accompanying them. The three approached the driver, questioning him before moving to the truck's rear. They shouldered their weapons, pointing them at the doors, unsure what to expect. All seemed silent, a silence which was broken as the back doors flung open.

Adren's feet hurt from running on the hard concrete, but he would not give up on his friends. Kip ran to get help, summoning all available soldiers. They instantly responded by running to gun racks, preparing their weapons and setting off at a run towards the testing grounds.

Adren was far ahead of the other soldiers, the testing ground in sight. He ran onwards, the only sound coming from his feet hitting the concrete. The echo of shots arose, accompanied by shouts. He ran faster, knowing he had but seconds.

The ghosts were killed instantly, taken by surprise. Private Dan was shot in the chest, but he managed to let off a number of shots, killing one of the terrorists and destroying the psychic dampener. The terrorists stormed out of the truck, hiding behind it for cover as they released a number of shots into the crowd. Some of the officers were hit, the guards fighting back to the best of their ability. "Get out of the testing grounds now!" yelled Roland, who proceeded to pull the trigger of his gun, hitting one of the terrorists in the left eye.

The crowd ran towards one of the exits, but their escape route was cut short as another truck burst through the small space, tearing a section of the concrete away. The other entrance met a similar fate, having a truck burst through it, terrorists starting to pour forth into the field. Roland looked on, closing his eyes and dropping his gun as the enemy moved in on the group, their weapons ready to fire. All seemed silent and almost serene to him. "It should've been on Chau Sara," he whispered to himself.

Time itself seemed to slow as one of the terrorists aimed his gun at Roland, squeezing the trigger. The bullet burst out, piercing the air as it sped towards its target. Roland winced as he felt something tear into his chest. He opened his eyes, looking down as he held a hand to the source of the pain. He lifted his hand away to see blood covering it before falling to his knees. The terrorist took aim again, his finger starting to squeeze the trigger as he savoured the pain of his victim.

From out of nowhere, what sounded like an explosion pierced the silence. Roland's eyes snapped over to where it had come from. The third truck to pull into the area had been pushed forwards, its fuel compartment having exploded. The explosion had knocked down the terrorists close to it, killing some from the blast. The flames seemed to part for a figure dressed in black that walked slowly through them. The person had their hand outstretched, their head covered by a black hood. "Adren, no," said Roland under his breath, sensing the boy's presence.

Adren walked forwards, anger coursing through his mind as he saw various dead and wounded men. As the enemy reformed, he ran over to the largest chunk of what was once the truck, taking cover behind it. Bullets whizzed past him, whistling in the air as they did. Loud ding sounds erupted as bullets made contact with the metal. Adren was covered by darkness; the only thing to illuminate his outline was a flame to his left as he sat with his back against the chunk of metal. He turned his head to the right, looking over at Roland who was on the ground, staring at Adren with his brows knitted in a look of concern. "No," whispered Roland. "Go back."

Every piece of Adren's body told him to run away, to flee the scene, but the echoing voice sounded once again in the deep recessed of his mind. "Rise in the light or fall in the shadows."

He peeked over his hiding spot, ducking back down as sparks erupted close to his face from a bullet's impact. He looked back at Roland who once again mouthed the word "no".

The teenager sat still, his body pressed up against the metal. He blinked as bullets clanged against the remnants of the truck, his eyes still fixed on Roland. He looked at the exit, then back at Roland, trying to make a choice. The voice in his mind grew stronger, having but one word to say, it's voice growing louder each time it spoke the word. "Rise!" it said while Adren's anger grew at the sight of his fallen surrogate father. "Rise! ...RISE!"

He felt as if his body was surging with power. It felt as if something was augmenting his psionic strength, but what it was he did not know. He did not care. As strength flowed through him, he clenched his fists, his mind drunk on power and the desire for destruction.

The gunshots stopped for a moment, the terrorists thinking the boy dead. He stepped out of his hiding place, the light from the fires illuminating his face for all to see.

The terrorists tried to form up, firing at Adren. He held out both of his hands as he walked forwards, marching towards the first truck to have entered the field. The bullets fired at him moved around him as he created an unseen bubble of energy. The tracer rounds could be seen bending through the air as they curved around his body.

The terrorists regrouped at the truck, hiding behind it as Adren shot forth a psionic pulse. It tore up the grass before him and sent the three enemy soldiers in front of him flying forwards, their bodies twisted and their bones broken. At the sight of this, the rest panicked, trying to run towards the truck for cover. Adren used pieces of debris as projectiles, sending them into the stragglers.

He moved towards the truck, standing in the centre of the testing area, looking back at Roland once again whose eyes were starting to close. Painful memories of loss and of anger passed through Adren's mind. He let off a long drawn bellow of anger as the truck started to rip apart. The Colonel, who had been crouching for cover started to stand, his blue eyes wide with a mix of emotion. "Magnificent," he said under his breath, a tear sliding down his cheek.

The metal and wreckage started to spin in a tornado of debris, Adren at the centre of the tempest. His yell continued as the tanks started to shake before floating in the air, joining the chaotic, spinning storm of metal. The terrorists were sucked into it as well, their bodies tearing apart from the storm or simply being killed by the pieces of metal flying through the air. The terrorist leader was the last of the enemy to remain standing. Adren focused his sights on the man. The leader was lifted off the ground, floating in mid air, his arms and legs spread outwards as they were pulled by an unseen power. He screamed as his body was torn asunder, the pieces joining the storm briefly. Adren's bellow ceased and the storm stopped abruptly, some of the heavier pieces dropping instantly, while others came to a stop mid-air, floating before all falling to the ground in unison.

Adren collapsed onto his hands and knees, his body feeling so very weak, his head throbbing in such a pain that his face was screwed up, his eyes heavily asquint, his teeth showing as he clenched them together.

The soldiers who had been gathered by Kip came running through the open entrance, looking at the scene of utter devastation before them. "Come on," said one of the soldiers. "We need medics now! Get them to the infirmary!"

Adren's eyes started to close as the pain grew worse. He blacked out as all the sounds of the world drowned away.

When consciousness slowly returned to Adren, the extreme pains which riddled his head had dissipated into a light headache. He heard a beeping sound and could feel a somewhat uncomfortable blanket covering his body. He slowly opened his eyes to see that he was in a hospital room. There was another bed set up to his right, upon which a figure lay. He turned his head on the side to see that it was Roland. "Roland," he said, sitting up and slowly shifting off the bed.

"Woah, easy, easy," came a voice.

Adren looked over to see Jake approaching him, Mary and a group of soldiers he recognised were close behind. They took hold of his arms and supported him as he stood up slowly, moving over to Roland. Mary looked into Adren's eyes and smiled. "You saved him. They expect that he'll make a full recovery."

A soft, drowsy laugh came from Roland's direction, sounding almost like a cough. "You didn't think you'd be getting rid of me that easily did you?" he said with a smile, his voice coarse and little more than a whisper.

"Well," said Adren. "I was hoping to buy a new car with the insurance money."

They all laughed. "What happened at the school?" asked Adren, looking at Mary.

"There were only two men there. Snipers killed them and rescued all of us."

The group heard footsteps walking through the doorway. There stood a man in a formal military suit strewn with badges and medals. The man had short, brown hair which was starting to experience greying. He appeared to be in his late fifties, several wrinkles starting to crease his forehead and the corners of his eyes. He had a short, somewhat thick nose which appeared to be slightly crooked on part of the ridge from having broken it at one stage of his life. His eyes were blue and, as he approached the group, they seemed to hold a rather gentle look which was devoid of malice or cruel intent. His face was kept clean shaven, but a light shadow of scruff had started to become established, as in his excitement the menial task of shaving in the morning had slipped his mind.

As he approached Adren, the light-hearted mood had all but passed, a more solemn tone setting in. He looked the teenager in the eyes as he walked towards him, however, his walk was cut short as the marines stepped in his way to block his path. "I'm sorry, sir," said Jake. "But I'm afraid we can't let you take him to be part of the Ghost Program."

The Colonel smiled and shook his head while holding up a hand. "No, no, you mistake my intentions," he said with a deep yet gentle voice. Were the man from Earth, his accent would be called British. "Your defence of the boy is admirable. I'd expect no less from soldiers of this regiment's standard."

"It's okay," Adren said to the soldiers.

The soldiers warily parted, allowing the Colonel to stand before the boy. "What you did out there last night was incredible. I've never seen anything like it; not from one as young and as untrained as yourself. As you know, I am here to find the best soldiers this galaxy has to offer. What you do not know, is that I am searching for something. In this galaxy, several artefacts have been found. They emanate untold power and have been known to augment psionic levels. It is my belief that this is how you were able to unleash a psionic storm of such an immense magnitude."

"So you're saying there's some sort of artefact nearby?" asked Roland.

"Indeed," replied the Colonel. "I will be sending men to search for it later. I will not bore you with details, but one of my psionics encountered one of these artefacts and was granted an insight into the future. I know that the Confederacy will not last, and that dark things will engulf the galaxy soon enough."

"I'm not going to let you take him to some place just to have you erase every piece of who he is," said Roland.

"I do not want him to join the Ghost Program."

"How do I know I can trust you?" asked Roland before the Colonel could continue to speak.

Karrasar smiled. "Because I too am a psionic," he turned his gaze to Adren. "To erase a mind such as yours and to dampen your abilities would be such a monumental waste. I can sense in you a great beast; a beast about which I can teach all that you desire and need to know. I want you to join me. Not the Confederacy, not the Ghost Program, just me."

"It sounds too good to be true," said Adren. "But I'm guessing you'll want to find some way to control me so you can send me into the fight against this 'darkness'?"

The colonel chuckled. "No, my boy; I do not want to control you," his eyes were wide and radiant at the thought of things to come. "I want to unleash you."


	4. Chapter 3: The First Real Mission

_[Author's note: First of all I would like to apologise for how long it has taken for this next instalment to be delivered to you all. I hope that it hasn't been so long that people would have forgotten about or lost interest in this story, because I have big plans ahead. The bad news is that it's taken this long to get this chapter to you, the good news is that now that my thesis is finished, I will be able to get chapters done faster! A massive thank you to all those who have provided reviews for previous chapters! You're support and reviews are what let me know you are still interested in this story, and they are what fuel me! Thanks again!]_

**Chapter 3**

**The First Real Mission**

Choices are strange things. Even the simplest of choices may see the most drastic of consequences. It is said that the choices people make are what define them. Adren would often look back in future times, wondering what would have happened had he chosen to stay on Mar Sara to live a simple life; but stay he did not. With the pain of his mother's capture reignited and those that took her still at large, he chose to follow Colonel Karrasar. When the colonel made his offer to Adren, Roland knew that he would not be able to stop the boy from leaving, nor did he try. Adren's choice was made. He would train to become a specialised soldier of awe-inspiring skill. He would train to become a powerful psionic; a true leader; a ruthless hunter. He would train to become a killer. The floor on which he walked would be paved with blood.

Adren's feet stepped soundlessly through the dark room, his visor providing enhanced lighting thus that he could see. The room in which he stood was a large supply room, crates strewn about the place. Every crate was a potential hiding place for his enemies. He looked back, seeing his five allied squad-members close behind, their guns shouldered and their gaze ever vigilant, scanning the room for any sign of movement. They wore the armour of a ghost operative, as did Adren.

"Looks clear," Adren whispered back to his squad leader. "But I can't tell with all these damned crates. There could be anyone hiding here," he hissed.

"Understood," murmured the squad leader. "Squad, return to wedge formation, Adren, you're on point. Stay on alert; we're oscar mike to objective marker three."

Adren muttered a quick "yes, sir" before proceeding through the maze of crates. Some of the crates were larger than others, and some were stacked in piles, making the amount of possible cover for enemies far greater.

Adren continued onwards cautiously, his rifle shouldered. He twisted left and right with extreme speed upon passing every set of stacked crates, making sure no foe was waiting in ambush. He was unable to psionically detect the presence of others due to a psychic dampener in close proximity. He relied instead on his acute hearing and excellent eyesight, scanning every nook and cranny for traps or soldiers and listening for any sign of an enemy presence. As he moved, his ears were met with naught but a cold and empty silence.

The squad proceeded towards their target – a door at the end of the room. Adren heard scuffling nearby. He stopped dead in his tracks and raised a fist, signalling the squad to freeze. The squad leader came up next to Adren. "What is it?" he hissed.

"Thought I heard something, boss," replied Adren in a soft voice.

The squad leader moved ahead of the group slowly and carefully, peering behind crates as he moved. Silence and darkness still yielded an eerie feel to the entire room, the only light coming from a series of dim globes hanging from the ceiling, some of which flickered every now and then.

The squad leader signalled the rest of the team to follow. He started moving onwards again when without warning a hostile soldier emerged from behind a set of stacked crates, his gun blasting shots directly into the squad leader. Gunfire erupted as more hostiles arose from their hiding places, using the crates as cover. Adren fired three shots of his rifle blindly into the enemy forces as he ran, hoping to deter them enough to buy the time required to reach shelter. "Get to cover!" he yelled to his allied soldiers while sprinting to a metal crate, off which projectiles impacted with a clang.

He looked back, noting that one of his squad mates had been taken down in the gunfire. He poked his head and his gun over the boxes and fired, taking down three enemies with precise shots to the heart. Another two foes fell by the hands of his three remaining squad members. "We need to move forward! The only way out of here is through that door! We can do this!" he barked.

He moved out from his position, his teammates following as they all fired. They pressed forward, taking down another handful of hostiles as they pushed onwards, but suffering yet another casualty.

They continued to push forward as Adren leapt over a stack of boxes, coming to a crouching position and letting off four shots, one of which found its mark on a target. "You!" he pointed at the team member to his left. "Suppressive fire on that flank!" he shot a hand out with two fingers pointing towards the hostiles amassing on the left side of the enemy line. "And you," he looked at the other soldier. "Give me some covering fire!"

He rushed forwards, the two soldiers carrying out their orders well. The team member to Adren's left had managed to scramble the group of soldiers and send chaos into their ranks, while his other squad member covered his advance. He rushed the forward line of the hostile soldiers, shooting anyone in sight with such speed and accuracy that they barely had time to react, let alone release a shot with any chance of hitting him. "Form up on me!" he roared, providing covering fire as they moved to his position.

The three ran forwards in search of shelter from the spray of incoming fire. They found cover behind a stacked pile of metal boxes, hiding there for a moment while they reloaded their rifles. The team member to his right darted his head over the boxes to let off a burst of fire, but was in turn shot, falling to the floor.

Adren and the last remaining squad member sat with their backs pressed firmly against the crates behind which they hid. "Well, just you and me eh, kid?" said the remaining squad mate.

"We can still do this, Jake," replied Adren.

"Don't suppose you could whip up another one of them psionic storms like ya did back home, could you?"

"No, the psychic dampener is too strong. I don't suppose you could shoot like you did when you were impressing Karrasar back home enough to get this position, could you?"

Jake laughed and slapped Adren's chest playfully before the two poked their heads above the crates and let off a burst of fire each. They felled four more enemies before returning to the safety of their cover. "We have to make a run for it," said Adren in a loud enough voice to compete with the incoming fire. "They're just getting more reinforcements! The only hope we have is trying to make a break for it!"

Jake nodded, his ghost operative helmet covering any expression on his face. "Agreed!"

They leapt over the crates and ran, firing as they did. The sounds of the world seemed to dampen and time itself seemed to slow as adrenaline coursed through Adren's body. The two shot numerous hostiles as they ran, managing to get within metres of the door. Adren heard a thud and looked back in time to see Jake fall.

Adren stopped cold in his tracks and ran back to Jake, grappling onto his team mate around the chest and moving backwards while firing, heading closer to the door.

He reached the door, putting Jake gently against the ground as he blasted suppressive fire into the enemy ranks. He opened the door with his back facing it, grabbing hold of his comrade who moaned before he started to move backwards slowly. It was then he felt something pressed up against the back of his torso. He dropped his friend and spun around to see two armed hostiles with their guns shouldered and aiming directly at Adren's chest. They fired and he stumbled back a few steps, falling to the floor before lights flickered on to illuminate the dark room. Sound filled the room as the crates slid away, clearing a path through the centre of the room. "Training session over. Scenario failed," the female voice of an adjudant announced, the last two words making Adren's eye twitch slightly. To him, it was as if the words served only to rub in the defeat.

Jake groaned loudly as he sat up, taking off his helmet. Adren stood back up, squinting as he removed his helmet, his blue eyes adjusting to the light, sweat beading his forehead and matting strands of his finger-length, blonde hair. He brushed the few strands spilling onto his brow back into their regularly slicked-back position.

With a sigh, he helped Jake up to his feet. "Damn it," Jake grunted. "I know those stun shots just immobilise you for a short time, but they still make my body feel all funny, y'know? I feel all tingly 'n shit now," he jumped up and down lazily a few times, jiggling his hands around before shaking his whole body as if a chill ran up his spine momentarily.

Adren watched as the rest of the soldiers, both those posing as allies and enemies alike, steadily and sluggishly got back up to their feet. He saw Colonel Karrasar speaking with a man who had a clipboard, a form of some sort attached to it. The colonel nodded and the man walked away, leaving Karrasar's attention to shift to Adren and Jake. He approached them with a warm smile. "You both did well indeed."

Adren snorted, a wry half-smile curving his lips. "Did well? We failed."

"Failed?" queried Karrasar. "Have you learnt from this scenario?"

"Well, of course," Adren shrugged. Jake raised his eyebrows and nodded in agreement.

"Then I'd call it no failure at all."

"But I don't understand," Adren started.

"I see," Karrasar's voice seemed somewhat more solemn as he cut in. "Then perhaps you did not do as well as I had originally thought," he nodded to himself and gave a sigh. "That'll be enough for today. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir," Adren and Jake said at roughly the same time, saluting the colonel.

The colonel saluted them back before giving them a nod and a smile. He turned around and walked back towards the way from which he had come.

Jake and Adren busied themselves with small errands for the rest of the day. As early afternoon came, Adren made his way to the private gym reserved for a select few. He walked into the relatively small room, seeing Jake already on an exercise bike. They exchanged a nod of greetings before Adren stepped onto a treadmill, setting it to a fast jogging pace. "Man, what do you think Karrasar meant?" Jake panted, turning his head towards Adren, his mouth open and his eyes asquint as the pain of his workout burned in his legs.

"I don't know if it really _needs_ to be looked into," Adren's voice was somewhat jumpy from his jogging. "I've been thinking about it, and maybe it is just what he said. The fact that we still learnt from this thing means we didn't completely fail. I mean, come on, he's Karrasar. How many times has he told either of us we've failed? In fact, how many times has he given us a scolding in any way at all?"

"I guess you're right," Jake huffed. "And let's face it; we have screwed up big time in the past."

They both chuckled. "Oh yeah," Adren shook his head, a wide smile on his face. "Like that time you fell out of the tree and misfired that high power rifle," he started to laugh.

Jake laughed as he remembered. It had been half a year after they were both recruited by the colonel. They were engaged in a test whereby they had to shoot long distance targets which had been set up, long grass and dense bush partly blocked their vision of the targets. In order to combat the vision impairments, they climbed a nearby tree, both lying prone on two thick, parallel branches. The area being used for target practice belonged to a farmer. The farmer's tractor had been left a considerable distance to the right of the targets, the rest of the land was filled only with grass and trees. Adren took his shot, the high powered rifle making short work of the bag of grain, the bullet impacting dead centre on the painted red circle. "Watch this," Jake said in a cocky manner, his eyebrow raised as he gave Adren a nod.

Adren turned to look at his friend. "Dude," Adren pointed at Jake's hand. "There's a big-ass spider on your arm."

Jake darted his head towards his arm, his cocky smile vanishing instantly as he saw the spider poised for the attack. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, flailing his arm around.

He lost his balance, sliding off the tree and, in panic, squeezing the trigger as he fell. The bullet hit the farmer's tractor in the fuel tank, blowing it up as Jake plummeted to the ground, Adren slapping the branch on which he lay as he laughed. Even then, Karrasar had not scolded Jake.

Remembering yet more incidences like this, Jake smiled as he eased the exercise bike into a slower, easier mode. "How about that time you'd been drinkin' heavily until five in the morning of the day we had training."

"Oh man," Adren shook his head at the memory. "That wasn't the best idea I've had."

The incident had occurred two years past. Adren had been invited to join a party the night before he and some fellow soldiers were to engage in a close quarters training operation whereby they would attempt to takeover a room controlled by an enemy team. Naturally, alcohol flowed as freely as the conversations at the party. Adren had forgotten about his training, remembering only an hour before he was due to begin. Being late, his team had assumed their positions for the initial door breach. He arrived at the scene, stumbling towards his position. He fidgeted due to the discomfort of his uniform, for unbeknownst to him in his state, he had put his tactical vest on back to front. His team members could not help but chuckle at the sight of him flailing his arms around, trying to figure out the problem. The team leader looked at Adren, his expression stern. "I'm sorry, Adren, did we disturb your partying?"

"Kind of, yeah," Adren nodded with a cheesy smile, to which the other team members gave a chuckle.

"Wha-" the team leader frowned, unable to think of what to say after the unexpected statement. "Damn it, soldier! You get there and you breach that door right now, y'hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Adren slurred, giving a sloppy salute.

His vision was blurred and he was barely able to stand without coming close to falling. He took a deep breath and, unable to concentrate or focus his vision, he charged towards the door. His steps took him off course, causing him to run straight into the wall. The wooden walls of the building were dilapidated enough that he fell straight through, leaving a gaping hole in his wake. One of the beams holding a section of the rickety room had been broken by Adren's charge, resulting in part of the ceiling collapsing. A loud crashing noise consumed the area as pieces of the ceiling fell away, powder flying in clouds. The dust stirred around the room and floated about Adren's unconscious body which was covered in rubble from the ceiling. The only two who weren't amused were Adren, who had passed out, and his team leader. Some of the soldiers had fallen to the floor in laughter.

Adren remembered the talk he had received from Karrasar after that unpleasant occurrence. Even then the talk had been more like a father showing signs of disappointment as well as concern towards the injuries Adren could have sustained.

Adren laughed, remembering the video footage he was later shown of the mishap. As he stopped the treadmill a man in his late twenties opened the door to the private gym, stepping through. His hair was short and a few shades darker than Adren's. His cheeks dipped in shallow depressions, but they were not deep enough for his face to be described as gaunt. His blue eyes emanated a happy tone to match his smile as he approached his two comrades.

"Hey, hey," Adren smiled. "How's it going?"

"Just got back from retrieving another artefact. Sounds like all the fun's here, though."

"Damn it, Marcus, you missed the reminiscing of our failures," Jake smiled.

Marcus turned to Adren. "Like the time you tried to do that door breach while you were still drunk?"

Adren nodded while chuckling. "Yeah, that definitely made the list."

Their conversation continued as they undertook their daily workout routines, the topic changing numerous times until it was late afternoon. Finishing up his exercises, Adren departed, making his way out of the gym and down a series of corridors. As he grew closer to the main section of the building, the flow of people moving throughout the corridors increased. He saw a familiar face approaching him as he walked. A woman with medium-long, dark brown hair which was almost black and grey-green eyes gave Adren a smile as she caught sight of him, a stack of papers held in her arms. "Hey, Sheena, how's it going?" Adren beamed a wide smile. Adren had developed a crush on Sheena which he told no one save for his closest friends. It was a foolish endeavour, yet his heart yearned for her nevertheless.

Sheena stopped in front of Adren. "Well, I have to take these papers to Major Pase and you know how he gets when he doesn't have his papers on time," she snorted. "But apart from that, everything is alright. Things could be better, though."

"Why, what's wrong? Things with Dan are alright, aren't they?"

"No," she sighed. "We broke up," as the words left her mouth, Adren concealed the happiness and hopefulness he felt. "I'm beginning to think it's impossible to find a good guy anymore."

His heart sank a little as she uttered the words. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

She smiled. "It's okay. Anyway, I have to get a move on or I'm going to get my ears blasted off by Pase. A few of my friends are going out for drinks on the weekend, you should come along too."

His spirits rose once again and he could not help smiling. "Yeah, sure, it sounds good. I'll talk to you later."

She waved a goodbye as she started to walk the opposite way. He continued onward, suddenly realising he was simply walking without knowing where he was going. Considering for a moment, he decided that he would make his way to the roof to watch the sun set. It always calmed him down, and after the words spoken by Karrasar, his mind was a scramble of thoughts.

The way to the rooftop was one well known to Adren. He had spent many an afternoon there in deep thought. He traversed the final flight of stairs after having made his way to the rectangular spiral of concrete steps.

He pushed the door open and stepped onto the rooftop, wiping sweat from his brow and taking a deep breath while squinting against the afternoon sun's light. Chairs were set up at a table though they were almost never used by any of the building's members, save for Adren. The rooftop was not entirely flat, due to a room for the building's backup generator. There were plants and shrubbery in a low lying hollowed-out wall which surrounded the chairs and table, making that area the central part of the rooftop. A small flight of stairs led to a lower platform at the rooftop's edge. This created a balcony-like effect. Chairs were set up facing the city, their backings lined against the raised platform of the central rooftop. A low glass wall protruded from the very edges of the rooftop. Concrete columns separated the sheets of glass, all of them hollowed-out and containing self-sustaining shrubs.

Adren settled into a chair, looking at the city before him. The building Adren had called home for the past 4 years stood at 10 storeys tall. It was not small, but nestled just next to the central core of Tarsonis City, the capital of Tarsonis, it was dwarfed by the giant skyscrapers. The building lay in an area where the surrounding structures were of a similar height, the vast majority of which were smaller. Behind the structure there were numerous areas devoid of any tall buildings, creating the appearance of an open space. In front of the building, the closest skyscrapers lay a block away, after which they grew in size towards the city's core. Adren always thought the patch of smaller buildings seemed like a small paddock in a giant jungle of buildings made of metal and concrete and covered in glass. To the right of the building was what looked like a canyon paved in metal, along which a main road ran towards the core of the city.

Adren watched the stunning colours of the setting sun casting crimson and orange light over the city. The light shone in beams through the cracks between buildings and reflected off the glass from windows. Several aircraft soaring across the sky were soon joined by a flock of birds seeking a resting place for the night.

The air seemed warm, and in combination with the colours of the sunset, Adren found his zone of peace. He took a deep breath, thinking about the situation with Karrasar. He pondered in thought until the sun had passed over the horizon, casting darkness over the city. Buildings became mottled with bright lights from windows as the city lit up for yet another vibrant night at Tarsonis City. Finally, he came upon the answer to his question. It seemed so simple that he could not help but shake his head at his naivety.

He left the rooftop in search of the colonel, who he soon found in his office. He knocked on the door, and hearing a genial "come in" he pushed open the door, seeing the colonel sitting behind his desk, a pen in hand. Karrasar smiled. "Ah, Adren, how can I help you?"

"I was thinking about the training exercise earlier today and I think I finally understand the situation."

"Well then, take a seat and enlighten me," he nodded his head to a chair in front of his desk.

Adren sat down. "The mindset I couldn't get myself out of earlier was the fact that the whole situation would be completely different if it was a real scenario. I have psionic abilities that would help me, but in the test I wasn't allowed to use them. So thinking about the situation, it was easy to see that you were testing our raw abilities. You wanted to see how we reacted as humans rather than as 'super soldiers'. That was easy enough to figure out, but then I kept on thinking that the exercise was like all the other ones we've been training in, where the only form of victory lies in eliminating the enemy team or capturing the objective. That's why I couldn't work out why you seemed to think we did well. And that's when I realised our team leader hadn't exactly been acting according to standard procedure. He got taken down on purpose."

Karrasar's smile widened. "Indeed. Then you see: both you and Jake performed exceptionally under the circumstances. As you have correctly identified, the purpose of this test was not to see if you could simply destroy all your opponents and claim the objective. It was to challenge you and your fellow team members. The scenario was one in which you had to rely on your physical senses alone after having lost your squad leader."

Adren smiled as he realised he had pieced it together. "Then this wasn't a scenario we were ever meant to win. It was never a scenario that we _could_ win. It was to push us to our limits and to see if we continued on or gave in. It was to see how we would react in the face of a hopeless situation."

The colonel nodded. "I already know full well that you can fight and that you can kill, but I need to know how your mind works. I've no doubts that were you to be in a real life situation akin to this, you and your fellow psionics would be able to make short work of your enemy, but I need to know _you_. The real you. The completely human side of you. As I have said to you many a time before; you must understand your weaknesses before you can understand your strengths."

"It all seems so simple now that it's pieced together. I don't know why I didn't pick up on this earlier."

"Every other scenario you've been placed in has been one where you had a chance at victory. You have had exercises to test your mind and exercises to test your abilities in combat, but they have never overlapped like this. Understanding the meaning of the test was simply another test in itself. One which you passed, as I expected you would. That is why I think you are ready for your first real mission. Collecting artefacts and entering naught but potentially hostile situations which never escalate into any threat are no longer fitting missions."

Adren's heart started to race with excitement. "Sir?"

"You will be briefed in the morning. Meet me in my office at zero nine hundred hours."

Adren stood and saluted the colonel. "Yes, sir. And thank you."

Karrasar smiled and returned the salute. "You've more than earned the chance, now grab something to eat then get some rest."

Although sleep was hard to come by at first due to the excitement, Adren rested well that night. When he awoke the following morning he sprung out of bed, eager to get started on the preparations for the mission. After eating a quick breakfast, he made his way to Karrasar's office. When he arrived, Karrasar was standing in front of his desk talking with two men. As he entered the room, their gaze turned to him. "Ah, there you are," Karrasar moved over to close the door. "This is Major Blackburne and this is Lieutenant Michaels. They will be providing you with all the information you will need for your mission."

Major Blackburne gave Adren a nod. He was in his late forties with short, dark blonde hair, his eyes a dark blue. Wrinkles had started to crease his forehead, and a thin scar ran along his left cheek. "I've heard good things about you, kid. This should be a good test. General Intel suggests that the mission won't be too hard, but you'll still need to keep your wits about you. Are you ready to get started on the briefing?"

"Yes, sir. Ready when you are."

"Good. The mission will involve several stages. Your target will be in a civilian hotel in Tordaan City."

"Tordaan City?" Adren queried. "That's here on Tarsonis."

"Correct," the major nodded. "Your target is planet-side. As you know, Tordaan City is four thousand miles south-west of Tarsonis City. You'll be taken there by air transport tomorrow morning, so use today to get prepped and ready. You'll leave in civilian clothes, but pack lightly; you won't be staying for long. Your first objective on landing will be to check in to your room which will be your team's rendezvous point. From there you will move out to track your target and make sure everything goes according to plan. He should return to his room by twenty hundred hours. You and your team will move in, get into his room, and assassinate him and any guards he may have. If the plans change, you'll have to improvise and find a suitable area to perform the assassination. If this happens, find somewhere quiet, we don't want to attract any unwanted attention. Once the mission is completed you will move to an extraction point. Unless you have any questions, I'll let Michaels take you over the finer points."

Lietenant Michaels, a relatively short and stocky man stepped forwards, giving the major a nod. His brown hair was shaved in a crew-cut, his brown eyes seeming to constantly bear a serious tone. "Including you, your team will consist of eight members and will be led by Corporal Darson. You will act as the third in command, should it be required."

"Sir?" Adren interrupted. "Is it such a good idea to be putting me in any command position in such an early mission?"

"Well given your current record, the colonel agrees with the decision made by Major Blackburne and myself."

Adren nodded and the lieutenant continued going over the detailed points. Adren was given a file with information and pictures of those he would be working with and the man he had to assassinate, as well as various pictures of the hotel and the general layout. The briefing continued as Adren absorbed all aspects of the information given to him.

When the briefing was complete, he decided to take all the notes and files he had been given to the rooftop to study them further. On his way there he ran into Sheena, who saw him carrying the files. She smiled. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Well, I doubt the colonel would want me talking about what this is."

"I promise I won't tell a soul," she said in a flirtatious manner and leaning in closer in an attempt to pry any information she could from him to sate her curiosity.

He was rendered defenceless against her charm. "It's a top secret assignment. It's my first real mission."

"Well done," she gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Well then you _have_ to join us for drinks on the weekend."

"Then I'll be there," he grinned.

"I'll let you get on with studying up for it. How exciting! Good luck for it. Let me know all the details when you get back!"

He thanked her and moved on towards the rooftop. When he reached his area of tranquillity he was able to focus all his thoughts on the mission. He stayed there, studying every aspect until the sun started to set. The setting sun cast its deep orange haze on the city, and before long night had fallen. Adren looked up and watched the stars for a moment, a smile on his face. 'Tomorrow, this will be it,' he thought to himself. 'My first real mission.'


End file.
